Module Information
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Viewing | 10 x 3 Hour Viewings |
| Seminar | 10 x 2 Hour Seminars |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Dissertation (15,000 words) | 100% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Resit of Dissertation (15,000) on a different topic | 100% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. Display a transferable, systematic understanding of the tasks of formulating an answerable research question
2. Design and implement some securely grounded, comprehensive research procedures
3. Demonstrate an advanced ability to analyse the results of such procedures
4. Relate such research to a broad range of up-to-date thinking and knowledge in the field of film studies or television studies
Aims
The aim of the module is to offer students an opportunity to produce a substantial piece of academic writing relating to topics covered during the MA Film Studies course, and to demonstrate their ability for research and advanced scholarship.
Brief description
Students will be asked to begin thinking about their dissertation topic (and its associated research question and methods) in semester 1. Through a series of seminars and workshops they will acquainted with a range of methodologies and research tools. At the end of the first semester they will be required to produce a dissertation proposal (formative assessment) that will help them shape their research topic and that will be focused further through individual supervision in the second semester to lead to a 15,000 word dissertation. The dissertation proposal will inform the allocation of an appropriate supervisor, based on expertise related to the proposed topic and methods. A total of 12 hours (six one-hour seminars, two three-hour workshops in semester 1) and a total of six hours of supervision time (face-to-face, via email and skype, semester 2 and summer) is given to each student, where supervision is arranged on an individual basis. Supervisors can read and comment on up to one third (maximum) of a student’s draft dissertation.
Content
Seminars and workshops: methodologies and research tools (e.g., empirical, textual, historical research; quantitative and qualitative methods). Under supervision of an appropriate member of staff, the student will write a dissertation of 15,000 words on a topic agreed with the supervisor.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | N/A |
| Communication | Students will be expected to discuss their dissertation and its progress in the group and with their supervisor (in tutorial sessions). They will practice, through the proposal, how to write in a clear and effective way. |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | In tutorials, students will be expected to critically reflect on their own readings and preparatory research, and on how their dissertation plans are progressing. In addition, students will be expected to develop their motivation, organization and time-management skills, by planning their work on the dissertation through the dissertation proposal and drafting chapters, whilst keeping in regular contact with their supervisors. |
| Information Technology | Students will be encouraged to use the web and the numerous e-learning resources in the library in order to search for and locate journal articles and other primary materials that may have relevance to their dissertation. |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be encouraged to develop their research, writing, learning and organizational skills. These attributes will feed into their development as effective researchers, which will be particularly suited for an academic career or a career within the field of media arts. In the workshop they will learn to pitch their proposal and “defend” their topic. |
| Problem solving | This element is developed through students considering methodologies appropriate for their dissertation topic and the research question that is poses. They will learn about practical issues and demands associated with employing such methods through the seminars. By problematizing the perception of what constitutes good and effective research, the students will have to think differently about their dissertations and the questions and issues they will need to tackle in order to plan and carry out their dissertation research. |
| Research skills | This element is developed through students identifying, guided through seminars, the most appropriate research methods and procedures to employ in order to answer their research questions and then applying these in a clear and effective way throughout their dissertation. These skills are also developed through research of relevant literature and identifying the key literature that will inform and academically ground their dissertation. |
| Subject Specific Skills | See QAA Film Studies Subject Benchmark Statement |
| Team work | Students will test their research projects on their peers, who will comment, thus enriching the learning process through a set of team-related and common practices. Students will be expected to work with their supervisor, to arrange tutorials and plan their dissertation work, to share and negotiate ideas and opinions on methods and relevant readings, and to reflect on and share ideas about their developing dissertation plans. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 7